News Detail

Flood Zone Meeting to Examine Response and Preparation

2/5/2014

OTTAWA – State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said all mayors and city and county officials from her senate district have been invited to meet on February 12 to discuss response to and preparation for major flooding.

Last spring, several areas of Sen. Rezin’s district were devastated by flooding caused by heavy rains. As a result, a coalition has been formed to bring the region together and facilitate a discussion of what worked regarding the response and what the area can learn for future flooding disasters.

Sen. Rezin said it was important for the area to prepare regionally instead of focusing on individual communities.

“I believe that if the area were to prepare in a broader sense for these type of disasters, we would see an even better result,” she said. “These meetings will begin those discussions and ultimately improve how the region responds to uncontrollable disasters.”

Michael Sutfin with the City of Ottawa’s Building and Zoning Department said that representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Association of Floodplain and Stormwater Managers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and more will be in attendance.